Can opener



July 13, 1 954 G. E. STUMPP 2,683,307

CAN OPENER Filed Dec. 2, 1952 2 Z5 INVENTIOR I GEORGE E. Srympp 3D sv ew w .ATTORNEY Patented July 13, 1954 CAN OPENER George E. Stumpp, Mineola, N. Y., assignor to Robert N. Rose, Mineola, N. Y.

Application December 2, 1952, Serial No. 323,542

7 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to can openers and particularly to a device for opening cans by punching an opening in an end thereof as is common for example in the opening of beer cans and oil cans. I v

More particularly still the present invention relates to a can opener of the type described which is adapted to mounting on a vertical surface such as a wall and which is more convenient in use than is the lever type of opener ordinarily employed for the punching of a hole in the end of a can of beer.

Cans of the type considered are frequently made of relatively heavy gauge metal and are frequently difficult to open with the hand tool supplied. My invention comprises an opener which is operated by means of a cam action so that a large amount of pressure is readily generated and therefore the most difficult can easily opened.

It is an object of the invention to provide an opener for punching holes in an end wall of a container which device is adapted to wall mounting.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a device having an operating mechanism which multiplies the effort expended and makes even the most difficult can readily opened.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a device as described above which can be economically manufactured.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent when the following description is considered in connection with the annexed drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the can opener of my invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the device of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the device of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 1 but showing parts in an operated position; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing certain details of the invention, the view being taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown at II] a plate which supports the operating parts of the can opener, the plate In being adapted to be fastened to a vertical surface as is indicated by showing of the angle members 9 fixed to the plate and adapted to be fastened to a vertical wall. It will of course be understood that any other suitable means of fastening the plate I0 to a supporting surface may be utilized.

2 Pivotally mounted on the plate In is a lever I I, the lever II being formed with a hub portion I2 which is rotatably mounted on an enlarged cylindrical portion I3 of a stud I4 screwed into a threaded opening in the plate I0.

Similarly pivotally mounted on the opposite side of plate II] is a lever I5 this lever being mounted by means of a hub portion It on an enlarged cylindrical portion I! of a stud I8. The lever I5 is provided with a camming surface 20 on one end and with a handle 2| at the opposite end thereof.

Mounted on the lever II, which is ofgenerally triangular shape, are two rollers 22 and 23 one on each upper corner of the lever II as seen in Figure 1. These rollers are mounted on the lever II by means of the bolts 24 and 25 respectively which bolts extend through the rollers and the lever and have nuts on the opposite ends thereof. The rollers 22 and 23 have portions thereof cooperating with the walls of arcuate slots 26 and 21 in plate I0 and further have portions cooperating with the cam surface 20 of the lever I5.

Also mounted on the lever II in any suitable manner as for example by welding thereto is a pointed punch or cutter 28 this pointer being rigidly fastened to the lever I I.

Fixed to the plate III in any suitable manner as for example by riveting or welding is a vertically extending annular plate 30 the upper edge of which is provided with teeth 3 I. This member 30 is designed to receive a can to be punched, the upper rim of the can resting on the teeth 3| in the manner clearly shown in Figures 1 and 4.

With the can in the position indicated and with the lever I5 positioned as indicated in Figure 1, the punching operation is initiated. As the handle is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 1, the camming surface 23 of lever I5 bears against the rollers 22 and 23 and causes the lever II to rotate about its bearing I3. As the lever II rotates the point of the blade or punch 28 moves downwardly and penetrates the can forming a triangular opening which extends substantially to the outer cylindrical wall of the can, the movement of the levers I5 and !i being clearly indicated in Figure 4 which shows the position which the parts will have assumed shortly after the blade has first penetrated the can top.

In order that the device may also be utilized in the opening of bottles provided with crown caps I have formed a bent-over end 32 on the plate I0 this member having portions of opposite curvature 33 and 34 at the top and bottom thereof and a slit intermediate these curved portions thus forming an opener for bottles capped with crown caps in general accordance with the usual formation of such openers.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described it will be understood that various modifications of this invention may be made and therefore I wish to be limited not by the foregoing description but by the claims granted to me. i

What is claimed is:

1. An opener for beer cans and the like com prising, in combination, a supporting member, a lever pivotally mounted on said supporting member, said lever carrying a punch and at least one cam follower, and a second lever pivotally.mount ed on said supporting member, said second lever comprising an operating handle and a cam cooperating with said cam follower to move said first lever thereby causing said punch to penetrate a can held in position beneath said punch.

2. Adevice as claimed in claim -1 characterized in that said supporting member is a plate and further characterized in that said cam lever is pivotally mounted on one side of said "plate and said cam follower lever is pivotally mounted on the opposite sideof said plate.

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3. A device as claimed in claim 1 characterized in that said first mentioned lever has two cam followers mounted thereon cooperating with said cam of said second mentioned lever.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3 further characterized in that said cam has a contour which produces movement in one direction to cause the punch to penetrate the can and movement in the opposite direction to cause retraction of the punch from the can.

No references cited. 

